Comparison, checked September 24, 2026
Wix vs a custom-built website for a Canadian small business
- Author
- By the Redenn team
- Published
- Published
- Last reviewed
- Reviewed
The short answer
Wix is the right choice for a hobby or early-stage site that the owner wants to edit every week with almost no budget. A custom-built website from Redenn is the better choice once the site has to win customers and connect to a CRM, with package prices published in CAD and ownership terms in writing. The trade is simple: Wix gives you an editor and a subscription, Redenn gives you a site handed over to you once paid and a team that can maintain it.
Side by side
| Wix | Custom-built (Redenn) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Monthly or yearly subscription; features gated by plan; varies | One-time packages from CA$299 (Starter) to CA$799 (Business Plus), plus the template-based Launch starter at CA$99; optional hosting from CA$99/year |
| Scope | Templates, drag-and-drop pages and app-market add-ons within the platform's limits | Written scope per package: pages, forms, booking, blog, CRM, chat |
| Ownership (code, content, domain, accounts) | You own your content and a domain registered in your name; the site itself runs only on Wix and cannot be moved to another host | Domain (Cloudflare Registrar) in your name from the start; once the project is paid, the code and content we create are yours, with the code and every login handed over to you, or the accounts managed for you on a paid plan. For Launch and Starter, the written quote says whether the template code is transferred to you or licensed for your site |
| Support | Platform help centre and support channels; varies by plan | Email support on all hosting plans; priority support on Pro Managed CA$99/month plus provider usage billed directly to your own account; website changes as a service |
| Hosting | Included in the subscription; you cannot choose the host | Your choice of host, or Redenn hosting on Vercel's CDN: Lite CA$99/year, Business CA$199/year, Dynamic CA$49/month plus provider usage |
| SEO capability | Built-in basics you configure yourself; adequate for many local sites | Search Setup CA$99 included from Business: metadata, sitemap, robots, structured data; Search + AI Foundation CA$299 |
| Development capability | Limited to what the editor and app market allow | Custom features built to a written scope in Next.js, React, TypeScript and Node.js |
| CRM | Platform-native contact tools and integrations; varies | CRM integration from CA$99, CRM Setup from CA$299 with source tracking |
| Automation | Built-in automations within the platform; varies | Lead Follow-Up Automation from CA$149, with message usage billed by each provider directly to your own account; custom workflows quoted |
| AI features | Platform-provided AI assistance where offered; varies | AI Website Chat from CA$99/month and AI Receptionist from CA$149/month (usage such as AI, call minutes, SMS and email is billed by each provider directly to your own account, and none is included) |
| Maintenance burden | None for the platform itself; the owner does all edits and design upkeep | Dependency updates handled on Redenn Business hosting and above; you send change requests |
| Right choice when | Hobby projects, side businesses, weekly self-edits, near-zero budget, no CRM or custom features needed | A business that wants a fast, owned website with search, CRM and automation done once and maintained |
Prices are in Canadian dollars and exclude taxes. Any tax that applies is shown separately on your invoice.
Our verdict
Wix is a sensible choice for a hobby site, a club or a side project you will edit yourself every week with no budget for help. For a business whose website has to produce customers, a Redenn build is usually the better fit: Starter is CA$299 once, Redenn Business hosting at CA$199/year is optional, your domain is in your name from the start and the code and every login are handed over once the project is paid, with the quote stating whether Starter's template code is transferred or licensed. The deciding factor is rarely the price in month one; it is whether you want to rent an editor or hold an asset. Choose by what the site must do, not by which one looks easier to start.
Ownership and lock-in
On Wix you own what you put in: your text, your images and a domain registered in your name. You do not own the website as a thing you can move. The design, the pages and the features run only on the platform, and leaving means rebuilding somewhere else. That is a fair trade for a hobby site and a real cost for a business that has spent years on it.
A Redenn build works the other way. With Redenn, your domain is registered in your name from the start, at Cloudflare Registrar. Once the project is paid, the code and content we create are yours: at handover you get the code and every login, or we keep managing the accounts for you on a paid plan. Launch and Starter sites are built from Redenn templates. Your written quote says whether the template code is transferred to you or licensed for your site. Redenn manages the domain only if you ask and never holds a client domain hostage.
Total cost over three years
Wix pricing is a subscription with features gated by plan (see Wix's plans page), and the right plan depends on what you need, so it is shown as varies. The Redenn column uses the Starter package, which covers home, services and contact with a spam-protected form, analytics and Search Console. A site with a contact form fits Redenn Business hosting, so the example uses it.
Prices are in Canadian dollars and exclude taxes. Any tax that applies is shown separately on your invoice.
| Item | Wix | Custom-built (Redenn) |
|---|---|---|
| Build | your own hours | Starter CA$299 (three pages, contact form, analytics, Search Console) |
| Hosting, three years | subscription; varies | Redenn Business CA$199/year for three years, CA$597, if Redenn hosts it |
| Domain | registrar price; varies | Registrar's live price, plus a CA$9.99/year management fee if Redenn manages it |
| Search foundation | self-configured | Add Search Setup CA$99, or choose Business CA$499 which includes it |
| Three-year total | varies | CA$896 for Starter and three years of Redenn Business hosting, plus the registrar's live domain price and, only if Redenn manages the domain, CA$29.97 in management fees |
When to choose Wix
Wix does a lot well, and pretending otherwise would not help you. Choose it when:
- The site is a hobby, a club or a side project with no budget for a developer.
- You genuinely enjoy editing pages yourself and will do it every week.
- You need something online today and can live with a template look.
- You have no plans for a CRM, automation or custom features.
Pros
- Fast to start with no technical skill
- Hosting, SSL and editor in one subscription
- Large template and app market
Cons
- The site cannot leave the platform
- Subscription continues for as long as the site exists
- Custom features and integrations are limited to the app market
When to choose a custom-built website (Redenn)
Choose a custom build when the website is part of how you get customers. Starter at CA$299 covers three pages with a contact form, analytics and Search Console; Business at CA$499 has five pages and the search foundation. New custom sites are built in Next.js and can be served from Vercel's CDN. Redenn has also built websites for Canadian businesses such as GSS Driving School in Sunnyside, Manitoba and Stefano's Inc., a grocery freight and logistics company.
Pros
- One-time build price; optional hosting from CA$99/year
- Domain in your name; code and every login handed over once paid
- CRM, automation and AI products connect to the same site
Cons
- Design changes go through a developer
- Content must be supplied or bought (copywriting from CA$99/page)
- Not the right fit for a site you want to redesign weekly
Decision checklist
Answer yes or no. Three or more yes answers point to a custom build.
- Does the website need to produce inquiries or bookings, not just exist?
- Would you be upset if you could not move the site to another provider?
- Do you want leads tracked in a CRM with automatic follow-up?
- Do you prefer a one-time price to an open-ended subscription?
- Would you rather send a change request than edit pages yourself?
Questions
Can I move my Wix site to Redenn?
Your text, images and domain can move. The site itself is rebuilt in Next.js at the price of the package that fits its pages, and Redenn maps old URLs to new ones so search engines follow the move.
Is Wix cheaper than a custom website?
In the first month, usually. Over three years it depends on the plan you need and your own hours, which is why this page shows varies. A Redenn Starter site is CA$299 once, plus the registrar's domain price and, if Redenn hosts it, Redenn Business hosting at CA$199/year.
Can I edit a Redenn site myself?
Business Plus and Growth System include a blog or CMS for your own posts and updates. Page design changes are sent as requests and handled by Redenn.
Does Wix work for SEO?
Wix provides the basics and many local sites do fine with it. A custom build gives full control over metadata, structured data, page speed and crawler policy, but no platform can guarantee rankings.
Who owns the domain if Redenn registers it?
You do. Domains are registered at Cloudflare Registrar in your name. Redenn manages it only if you ask, for CA$9.99/year on top of the registrar's live price.
Sources
- Exporting or Embedding Your Wix Site Elsewhere, Wix Help Center. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- Wix plans, Wix. Accessed 2026-09-29.
Related
Services
- Website DesignFast, mobile-first design from a tested component system, priced by page count rather than by the hour.
- Website DevelopmentNext.js, React and TypeScript builds deployed to Vercel, with the search foundation included from the Business package up.
- Website HostingGlobal CDN, automatic SSL and monitoring, in tiers from static brochure sites to managed applications.
- Domain RegistrationRegistered in your name through Cloudflare Registrar at the live price, with DNS, renewals and email records managed.
- Website ChangesEach change priced before work starts and approved on a staging link.
- CRM SetupPipeline, fields, users, lead sources and contact import configured in your CRM.
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